2.4.5 British Imperialism



The Death of General Wolf, by Benjamin West Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada
The British Empire was once the world's most powerful global force and its largest and most far-reaching empire. The
Industrial Revolution
the period of major technological, economic, and cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th centuries resulting from the replacement of economies based on manual labour by economies dominated by industry and machines
Industrial Revolution gave Britain the technology and the financial capital to extend its powers. Its position as an island provided it with excellent merchant and military ships able to travel and trade around the world.

A Powerful Empire: At the height of its power, Britain controlled one-quarter of the world's surface and a quarter of the world's population.

  • Britain's influence is felt around the world today.

  • English is the official international language of trade and is the most common second language spoken around the world.

  • The British system of government, parliamentary democracy, is practiced in most of its former colonies including Canada, Australia, and India.

Digging Deeper


An interactive map of the British Empire is available on this BBC website.

Corporate Involvement: Companies of
entrepreneur
a person who starts a business; a person who takes the risk of turning opportunity into profit
entrepreneurs colonized North America on behalf of certain governments including France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. They were granted exclusive rights to resources in exchange for settlement. Immigrants followed, looking for a better life. Government involvement came later.

Today, Canada is still a member of the British Commonwealth although Britain does not have any real power over Canada. The Queen of England's representative in Canada is Canada's official head of state known as the Governor General.